Category: Christmas

“I know this isn’t very comfortable,” he whispered in her ear.  “I’m sorry.”  She nodded, touched by his kindness.  “By tonight, we’ll be in Bethlehem and surely we will be sleeping at an Inn.”  With the hope of that in sight, Mary closed her eyes again.  Joseph wondered about the day ahead.  They still had miles to go and he could tell that the time of the baby’s birth was near.  He felt alone and weighed down with the responsibility for their safety.  He prayed silently, “Jehovah, God of our fathers, have mercy on us.  Bring us safely to this new place.  We know no one.  I don’t have this all figured out.  Mary is trusting me and I am trusting you!  Let your presence move with us over these next hours.”  He had a choice.  He could rise early in the morning, faith in place, or nurse his fears.  He took a deep breath, reviewed the stories of his ancestral fathers, and trusted God.

It might have appeared to Joseph that they were alone.  It might have seemed as if their plans and their safety would be dependent upon his own ingenuity.  He could not discern that God might be guiding his thought processes.  God was the Father, just out of sight, ensuring the safe arrival of the Promise.  He was the Father of the unborn child and to say that He was invested was putting it mildly.  The redemptive plans of God, from before time, were about to break open upon Earth.  Nothing would tamper with divine sovereignty.

My life has also been planned from before the creation of the world.  God said so.  My calling is as secure in God’s hands as the calling of Joseph and Mary.  I can often feel the weight of responsibility, believing that I have more to do with determining my tomorrows than God does.  I fear that my own ingenuity will make or break my future.  Not so.  The presence of God hovers over.  His breath warms my way.  The creator of my mind, the One who has made Himself at home in my Spirit, guides me into all truth.  I cannot miss the way if I am prayerful, if I am listening.

My Bethlehem is always within reach; my roadway paved ahead of time by the index finger of God.

I’M CARRYING YOUR BABY

She was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 1:18

Two people who are deeply in love dream about the day when they will create life together.  As a woman thinks of carrying her husband’s child, she is deeply moved.  When a baby finally grows inside her, she will touch and bless her swollen abdomen with whispers of affection. Continue reading “I’m Carrying Your Baby” →

WHAT PRECEDED THE PRONOUNCEMENT

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  John 1:29

            Thirty years transpired between Jesus’ birth and John’s pronouncement of who Jesus really was.  Thirty years prepared the Son of God for three years of ministry.  Thirty years veiled the Son of God.  People saw Him as a son of Nazareth.  He was one child amidst other children of Joseph of Mary.  He was one student amongst other students in the temple.  He was one adolescent amongst other teenagers.  Yet, monotony, where one insignificant day led to the next, was how Jesus’ was being groomed to learn obedience and faith. The lessons of those three decades provided the foundation for the way He would handle His ministry and the walk to Calvary. Continue reading “What Preceded The Pronouncement” →

SPONTANEOUS WORDS

My soul magnifies the Lord.  Luke 1:46

    Words of faith do not originate from a vacuum.  What spills out during the times when I am stretched to my limit reflects the kind of faith I have cultivated previously.  A well known bible teacher said, “Who I am when hard times hit is really who I am.”   True!  The words I speak during my most painful moments are a mirror that reflects the foundation of my life.  Continue reading “Spontaneous Words” →